Akamai Technologies has signed a seven-year agreement worth $11.6 billion with the artificial intelligence developer Anthropic. This agreement could potentially be increased by another $9 billion, bringing the total to $20 billion.
This partnership signals the growing demand for powerful computing resources due to the global scaling of AI tools. Instead of focusing on Graphics Processing Units (GPUs), which currently drive the AI industry, the collaboration is centered on Central Processing Units (CPUs).
Thanks to this deal, Anthropic will be able to utilize Akamai's distributed AI infrastructure and software to handle growing demands for CPU computing power and provide its AI applications more quickly and reliably.
This transaction is a significant success for Akamai as the company accelerates its expansion beyond traditional content delivery and cybersecurity into large-scale cloud computing. Prior to this announcement, Akamai had recorded only slightly over $2.8 billion in multi-year commitments for cloud infrastructure at the beginning of the current year.
Dr. Tom Leighton, co-founder and CEO of Akamai, stated: 'Anthropic is driving the AI revolution, and we are pleased they have chosen Akamai's capabilities to build and operate AI infrastructure at scale.' He added that 'our expanding global network combined with years of experience serving the world's largest enterprises allows us to act as an infrastructure provider for secure and responsible AI applications.'
Under the partnership, Akamai grants Anthropic an equity stake in its results. Akamai issued Anthropic a warrant to purchase 7.7 million non-voting Series B preferred shares convertible into common stock, or approximately 5% of Akamai's total outstanding shares, at an exercise price of $111.33 per share.
Approximately 2% of these shares will be held under the initial $11.6 billion agreement. The remaining 3% will be held incrementally—about 1% for every additional $3 billion spent on cloud services if Anthropic decides to expand the contract over the next seven years.
The total capital expenditure required to support such a large volume of computing is estimated at around $5.5 billion. In a statement, Akamai indicated that it does not expect an impact on its 2026 revenue forecast but projects an increase in capital expenditures of about $1.7 billion in 2026 to ensure and pre-purchase critical supply chain components, including memory.
Akamai's cloud platform provides high-performance cloud computing from core to edge, enabling organizations to build and scale next-generation AI applications while providing comprehensive multi-layered protection to defend enterprises against evolving cyber threats.
